And I know of the plans the mayor has for the city, but as stated previously I do not see where the locals hang out or are in the street. 

If people hang out or party, then definitely no. 

Top thing this weekend is to finish hanging the kitchen drywall.  

'Rough patch' part is for neighborhoods that could be a bit iffy.Other than that, all the millennial stuff like whether there are new cafes, the kind of crowd that is hanging out, foot traffic, etc..but then depends also on type of property and neighborhood I am looking at - if it is an industrial-type city, then I'd look at Fire and Police Department numbers - their expenses should be consistent and low over the years indicating less drama.

This will cost me around $625, rather than buy new cheap doors for $600 and have to re-hang them completely. 

I’m looking for a broker that would allow me to hang my license with their brokerage while I’m living in Louisiana.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of low-hanging fruit right now.I believe this is more of a long term program of understanding real estate as a whole, finding and analyzing deals, and making investments when it's profitable.I love the podcasts and educational materials here on biggerpockets.com and look forward to learning and taking action for a long time.

I have basic experience like framming some walls, hanging sheetrock, painting.

I tend to hang with people older than me now, just becaue of the mindset difference.

The other posters have listed great standard strategy, but if you are working someplace like Qatar I would advise finding a ridiculously cheap place to hang out during your down time that isn't in the States.